"See I told you he wouldn't drown," Vernon Dursley said in a surprisingly cheerful mood at the sight of his nephew Harry Potter entering his house. "We were wondering if you were coming back, Harry,"
Harry looked up at his uncle, his breath lost to himself as he realized with a shock that they all, well maybe not all, didn't seem angry with his return. Petunia scowled at the sight of the snowy owl sitting in the cage. Harry squirmed under the glare and looked down.
"I'll just," he said softly "go put my things in my cupboard,"
He looked down at the floor and slowly unlocked the room. The scent of old blood and sweat mixed with mold and dust overwhelmed his senses as he opened the door. He crammed his trunk into the tiny space and crawled over the trunk to get on the thin mattress crammed under the stairs. He put down Hedwigs' cage on the mattress and pulled the small habitat made of glass from his pocket and placed it on the rickety old shelves in the cramped space. He gently put Clarence gently into the fish tank-sized container and patted his tiny head gently. He looked out of his tiny bedroom with a sigh and felt himself cramp into a ball to allow himself space to live.
"Right," Vernon said with a cough, "well about that,"
Harry looked up at his uncle with bright green eyes, before remembering that he shouldn't make eye contact with the muggles.
"You won't actually be staying in the house," Vernon finished with a weird smile that didn't seem to suit the man, "I bought you a shed!"
Harry moved his head to the right in a minuscule movement of disbelief.
"A shed...?" Harry asked after a moment of silence.
"Mhmm," Vernon said with a big smile.
Harry slowly climbed over the trunk to leave the tiny closet, his body twisting uncomfortably. He stumbled out onto the hard wooden floor and straighten himself out.
"What shed?" Harry asked dusting his clothes off and frowning.
"Don't worry it's already all set up," Vernon said, standing up from his chair in front of the television and stepping towards Harry.
Harry instinctively took a step backward towards the only bedroom he'd ever known at the Dursley's residence. Vernon grimaced and turned a light shade of red at the boy's reaction before internalizing his anger and letting out a small breath.
"Dudley!" He shouted instead, making Harry jump with the rough tone the man used.
Dudley came running down the stairs and skidded to a stop next to Harry.
"Oh, hey, Harry," he said with a smile.
Okay, Harry thought to himself What is going on?!
The fat blonde smirked in his cousin's direction and turned back to his fat elephant of a father.
"Should I show Harry to where he will be staying Father?" He asked in mock politeness.
"Yes, Son," Vernon said with a proud smile.
Harry reached back in the cupboard to grab Hedwig and Clarence's cages, shoving one in his pocket before anyone could notice. Harry followed Dudley out into the back gardens, swallowing hard at the memories that greeted him out there. He winced as he passed the hose. He had many memories that included the hose and rather unpleasant punishments it was used for. He looked around the backyard, noticing the creaky old cabinet/shed that stood out there holding the tools. To the left of the backyard, there was a medium-sized, plastic shed. Harry swallowed hard and watched as Dudley unlocked the padlock on the outside of the shed. He slowly stepped inside and looked around the small room. An old baby crib was in the corner and a hole was drilled into the floor with a makeshift toilet over it. Harry turned to look at Dudley with a frown on his face to ask how he was expected to stay in there, when the door was slammed shut in his face and Harry heard the door click from the other side, leaving Harry in the dimly lit room. He sighed and opened Hedwig's cage, feeling her wings flap as she flew to perch on the side of the crib. He gently placed Clarence inside the crib, gently patting his reptilian head. Clarence growled softly in return rubbing against Harry's fingers. Harry sighed and sat down on the floor, suddenly aware of how exposed he was out in the back garden, locked in the shed. He shrugged and pulled his wand out of his pocket, knowing it was useless anyway. He couldn't do magic outside of school.
"It's just a week," Harry whispered softly, a small flame traveling along with the tips of his fingers and giving light to the shed. "Just a week,"
